As part of government’s plan to diversify use of jute, implementation of a project is going one to prevent riverbank erosion and mudslide from hills and renovation of rural roads with jute geo textiles.

Out of 10 field trials under the project adopted by the present government, two has already been completed while one is under implementation and sites have been selected for two more.

Project implementation agency Jute Diversification Promotion Centre (JDPC) Executive Director Khandakar Mokhlesur Rahman said this is an international project financed by UN Common Fund for Commodities.

Under the project titled ‘Development and Application of Potentially Important Jute Geo Textiles’ involves 39.62 lakh US dollars.

Under the project, the construction of a rural road in Keraniganj on both sides of the river Turag has completed successfully.

The reinforcement of 500-metre bank of the river Pathraj at Boda of Panchagar ended under the project in June last year.

Currently, the field trial is going on to prevent landslide of Chimbuk hill at Baraitala in Bandarban under the project.

Two more sites have been selected to start the field trials. The bank of Barai river in Rajbari would be repaired and a rural road in Savar would be renovated with jute geo textiles.

Khandakar Mokhlesur Rahman said more sites would be selected within the current year to complete all of the 10 field trials by 2013. In the last year of the project in 2014, the sites where field trials would be completed kept under intensive observation.

JDPC official Miah Imam Musa said use of jute geo textiles in prevention of landslide and river erosion, and renovation of rural roads is less expensive, environment friendly and more effective.

Jute geo textile is a kind of gunny sheet that gets mixed with soil after rotting and creates a kind of strength in soil that resisting landslide.

When implemented, the project will increase use of jute in the country and raise its demand in the international market. — BSS